Entertainment Journalism: Its Rise and Future    [Print This Page] Time: 3:45-5:00 p.m. Date: Thursday, Sept. 11 Place: 100-A Reynolds Journalism Institute Over the past two decades, entertainment journalism has been arguably the fastest-growing segment in the profession. Programming and publications devoted to this industry have multiplied, as the entertainment sections of the mainstream media have expanded. The context of this growth is an increasingly blurred boundary between news and entertainment. These dynamics reflect profound changes in American society. Working professionals will discuss the evolution and impact of this category of journalism, how they cover the entertainment business, and our celebrity-driven culture. Moderator: Jann Carl Weekend Anchor, Primary Substitute Anchor, Senior Correspondent Entertainment Tonight Jann Carl, BJ '82, is in her 14th year at "Entertainment Tonight," the ratings leader in entertainment news. During her tenure at ET she has conducted interviews with the industry's most prominent stars and the nation's most influential newsmakers. The long list includes the University of Missouri's own Brad Pitt and Chris Cooper, along with Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Diane Sawyer, Dan Rather, and Barack & Michelle Obama. Carl has co-hosted several awards shows and television specials, including ABC's "Oscar Countdown" Academy Awards pre-show, the Emmy Awards pre-show on Fox, and the annual Tournament of Roses Parade on both CBS and HGTV. She began her journalism career at WLS-TV in Chicago as a street reporter and morning news anchor. Next Carl became a news reporter at KABC-TV in Los Angeles. Subsequently she was selected to co-host KABC's magazine show, "Eye on L.A." Carl was then chosen co-anchor of KTLA-TV's "News at Ten," where she earned three Los Angeles Emmy Awards during her eight years at the city's number one prime-time newscast. Carl has been involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association for 21 years, serving on the national board of directors and as a national vice president. In 1996 Jerry Lewis named her a national co-host of the MDA Labor Day Telethon; 2008 marked her 13th year on the broadcast. Discussion Leaders: Kimberly Nordyke Reporter The Hollywood Reporter Kimberly Speight Nordyke, MA '99, is a television reporter at The Hollywood Reporter, covering all aspects of entertainment journalism from the Emmys and Golden Globes to national trade shows, programming news and ratings. She joined the Los Angeles-based daily trade publication in 2000 as a copy editor and added feature writer to her resume before transitioning into the daily reporting position in 2004. Before joining THR, she was a public information specialist with the Missouri state government. Nordyke earned her bachelor's degree in mass communication from Southeast Missouri State University before attending the Missouri School of Journalism. Lindsay Powers Staff Writer-Editor Usmagazine.com Lindsay Powers, BJ '04, writes up to 15 stories a day about celebrities and the entertainment industry for Usmagazine.com. She began her career as a contributing reporter to Seventeen and Cosmopolitan magazines while working toward her combined newspaper and magazine journalism degrees at the Missouri School of Journalism. Upon graduation Powers became an editorial assistant at the New York Post. In her first week on the job, she was "fired" by Donald Trump and got thrown out of Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment. Powers worked her way up to reporter, where she covered everything from over-the-top lifestyle stories to the infamous Gotti mob family. She then became a reporter at Us Weekly, covering the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes wedding in Rome, Anna Nicole Smith in the Bahamas, the Oscars and the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals, among many other assignments. Powers recently jumped to Us Weekly's Web site as a staff writer-editor, and traffic has nearly tripled under her leadership. Leah Sanders Producer E! Entertainment Leah Sanders, MA '92, is a producer for E! Entertainment in Los Angeles. She works on daily segments for their nightly entertainment news show and recently began work as a show producer for the cable station's all new weekend editions of the program. Sanders's switch to entertainment journalism marked an unexpected turn in her broadcast career. Prior to E!, Sanders, a self-described news junkie, worked as a television reporter in Los Angeles for network affiliates, PBS station KCET, and was the Ventura County reporter for KNX 1070 News Radio. In the midst of her work in Los Angeles, she opened, owned and operated her production company, Bulah Productions. Clients included local network stations, corporations, political candidates, local and national non-profit organizations. The first years of her career were spent in television as an anchor and reporter in Raleigh, N.C., Santa Barbara and Palm Springs, Calif. Sanders is also a licensed spiritual practitioner and freelances as a non-denominational counselor. She earned her bachelor's degree at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in communications with a focus on media management. Kitty Bean Yancey Leisure-Travel Reporter USA Today Kitty Bean Yancey, MA '74, began her journalism career covering the Tennessee State Legislature, country music and Tennessee high school football scores for United Press International's Nashville bureau. She has been with USA TODAY since a few months after its founding in 1982, first as a cover story editor for all sections of the newspaper, then as a deputy managing editor supervising celebrity and entertainment coverage for the Life section. Her most memorable celebrity moments include getting the first interview with an incarcerated James Brown in South Carolina and being hoisted in the air by Justin Timberlake's bodyguard, who was unaware that she was authorized to do an interview. Yancey also writes USATODAY.com's Hotel Hotsheet blog. She earned her undergraduate degree from Middlebury College in Vermont. About the Futures Forum Top journalists, advertisers and thought leaders will lead numerous interactive sessions during the Sept. 11 Futures Forum, a day of cutting-edge discussions about the next century of journalism. Ethics, convergence and politics are just a few of the many hot topics that will be explored in this diverse program dedicated to challenging industry thinking and visualizing possibilities for the future. Sessions will be 75 minutes long and held concurrently with others on the schedule. Full schedules will be available during on-site check in during the Sept. 10-12 celebration. Close Window